


This Town of Glass and Ice

by AngelWithAStory



Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series), Dimension 20: A Crown of Candy
Genre: Character Study, Confrontations, Rivalry, at this point non-canon, lapin/theo if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:27:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23790808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelWithAStory/pseuds/AngelWithAStory
Summary: “I suppose you’re here to gloat one last time,”The prison cell was dank and dirty, and its prisoner even more so. Lapin really should have seen this coming.In which Lapin is accused of Heresy in Comida and Theo demands answers.
Comments: 24
Kudos: 128





	This Town of Glass and Ice

**Author's Note:**

> title from An Act of Kindness by Bastille bc the vibe fits quite well, i think (also a good vibe is Shame by Bastille, if this fic was from Theo's pov)
> 
> once again, getting a fic up hours before the new episode so i don't have to admit it's not canon-compliant
> 
> also very minor spoilers for the end of ep 2

“I suppose you’re here to gloat one last time,” 

The prison cell was dank and dirty, and its prisoner even more so. Lapin really should have seen this coming. 

But how could he? He’d been _so careful._ Choosing his words so carefully, crafting his magic so particularly, keeping his nondetection ward on him even as he slept. No one had suspected a thing for _years_. For _years_ Lapin had kept up the face of a dutiful member of the Bulbian church (which he _was_ , at least, once upon a time). 

Now all that work - all that _time_ \- was in tatters around his feet. 

His bruises from the guard’s treatment still lingered. The stains on his robes refused to come out, no matter how much he willed them to. The shackles around his wrists hurt every time he tried to move them. 

And to make matters worse, Theobald was stood on the other side of the bars. Just watching him. 

Lapin looked up at the gummy bear lazily, desperately trying to keep his facade from crumbling even further. He had already been dragged, beaten and berated in front of the townspeople. At dusk, the execution would be a public event; people would come from the villages to watch a _heretic_ die. 

He could take all of that - he could die with his chin up. 

He _refused_ to look weak. Especially in front of Theobald. 

Who still hadn’t said a word. 

“Well? Don’t keep me in suspense,” Lapin said, finally looking at him through the bars. He wanted to be able to stand, but the chains weren’t long enough for that. “Did you come here to finally say ‘ _I told you so_ ’? To say that you knew it all along and were just waiting for me to slip up?”

Still, Theobald was silent. 

Just watching Lapin in his small, disgusting cell. 

“Well if you’re not going-"

“Why?” Theobald finally said. 

“Why did I _what?_ ” Lapin shot back. “Lie? I’ll give you three guesses, shall I?”

“Why did you come with us to Comida?” Theobald said, more stern this time. Maybe stern was the wrong word, but Lapin wasn’t going to waste time trying to pin it down. 

“I’m the Princesses’ Royal Tutor. The Queen-“

“What’s the real reason you came with us, Lapin?” Theobald interrupted. 

Lapin was quiet for a long moment, mulling over his answer. He’s asked himself the same question a hundred times over as he’d sat in this cell. The answer he kept coming back to... Wasn’t the answer he expected, and it certainly wasn’t one he wanted to repeat out loud if he could help it. 

Then again, his death was slated for this very evening. What could one final truth really do to him now?

“I was asked a long time ago to watch over the Royal family-”

“Who asked you?” Theobald cut in. 

“You know who asked me,” Lapin said, drawing out his words to emphasise how _stupid_ he found the question. 

“The Sugar Plum Fairy asked you?” Theobald lowered his voice for a moment, finally looking away to glance down the corridor to watch for guards. 

“Yes. She used one of her wishes to do so.” Lapin said. Against his will, his curiosity was growing with the knight’s strange behaviour. 

“Why?” Theobald asked. 

“How am I supposed to know? I just serve her.” Lapin said through gritted teeth. 

“You don’t sound too thrilled about it,” Theobald observed. 

“I don’t have to explain every choice to you.” 

“Then don’t.” Theobald offered. He looked one last time down the corridor and took another step closer to the bars. Lapin could almost see the small scuff marks on his armour he was so close now. “Why did you cover for Ruby?”

That wasn’t a question Lapin was prepared to answer. 

He looked away, staring at the far wall. Something told him that this question was the entire reason Sir Theobald even bothered to see him before he would die at the old Emperor’s dying order. 

He stayed silent. 

“You could have pinned the blame on her. Told the Ceresian guards that Ruby was the heretic. Let her sit in this cell. You didn’t have to take the blame for her,” Theobald said, his voice already immovable in his certainty, “And I don’t believe that you care about the Sugar Plum Fairy enough to do all this just for her.” 

“I don’t,” Lapin snapped. He hated this feeling. How vulnerable he was, and how easily Theobald could see through him in this moment. 

“I just need to know why you did it,” Theobald said, his voice softening - just a little - for a short moment. “After all this time and energy spent keeping this a secret... Why did you do it?” 

Lapin finally met Theobald’s gaze. 

All those years bickering with each other, the belittling comments, the petty snipes. Always in competition, always vying for praise and glory. 

It would be so easy to fall back into that - to throw a lazy insult at Theobald’s feet and watch him grow indignant and eventually walk away, neither of them the victor once again. 

It would be so easy to throw away this lifeline and die with what little dignity he had.

It would be _so_ easy... 

But when had anything that was easy turned out to be good?

“I couldn’t let Ruby be found out. She’s my student, and may one day have been my Queen.” Lapin said slowly, choosing his words carefully, “It’s not her fault she came into magic at an inopportune time.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“I don’t know what you want to hear, Sir Theo-”

“You know exactly what I want to hear, Chancellor.” 

The silence stretched out between them again - somehow comfortable, even when they should hate each other. 

“I care about them,” Lapin’s tried to sound cold, and sure of himself, but he couldn’t stop that smallest hitch of his voice. He held Theobald’s gaze as he barreled on. “The Royal family. Bulb _damn you_ , Theobald, but I care what happens to them. I’m not so heartless that I can watch those Princesses grow up and not care!” 

Theobald was quiet, studying Lapin for a long moment. Then, he crouched down beside the bars and reached through, pulling Lapin close. 

Very suddenly, Lapin was afraid. He’d never felt afraid of the knight the entire time he’d known him, but still, he couldn’t help how his heart sped up and he realised he was helpless. Instinctively, he reached up and gripped Theobald’s hands to try and pry them off. 

But Sir Theobald held as steady and sure as he always did in battle. Immovable.

He pulled Lapin as close as he could through the bars and kept his voice low and urgent. 

“You are not going to die tonight,” He said hurriedly, “There’s a plot to kill the King and the Princesses tonight at the Tournament. If you have any loyalty to House Rocks left, defend them with your life. Your guilt can be decided later.” 

For just a few seconds, Lapin was at a loss for words. 

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m chained up in here. I can’t perform any magic.” Lapin hissed, keeping his voice just as low. “How do you expect me to escape?”

“On my signal, get away from the bars and cover your ears best you can. Sprinkle will get the chains off you.” Theobald said. His grip tightened for a second, “If you betray m-”

“If I wanted you dead, Theobald, I would have killed you years ago and blamed the Tartguard,” Lapin said dryly. 

Sir Theobald nodded, and in perhaps the strangest turn, he smiled wryly. 

“What’s your signal?” Lapin asked, feeling the fear start to subside, only to be replaced with the adrenaline of a battle that hadn’t commenced yet. “I don’t have a lot of time until my execution.” 

“Then let’s not waste any time,” Theobald said, dropping Lapin unceremoniously and stepping away from the bars. Lapin had the briefest moment to breathe and watch as Sir Theobald drew his weapon before he scrambled away from the bars and all Hell broke loose in the prison.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm gothic-cepho on tumblr <3


End file.
